My Pet Turkey

[Doc]

What the heck! Every turkey I have ever come across immediately takes off at the slightest movement. They are normally the spookiest critter on the planet. So what was this guy's problem. I walked out of the house heading for the barn to get the lawnmower out to blow leaves. I expected him to bug out at any minute. He never moved, but just kept eating. I opened up the barn doors. He stayed right here. I went inside and started up the mower. Didn't phase him at all. I went all over the lawn blowing the leaves off. He just kept eating. This guy is completely domestic! Weird!

[Jennifer]

Weird! Maybe you are onto something. Possibly an escaped domestic bird? A lot more people are getting into heritige breeds these last few years, and some of them look (in coloration) like a wild bird.

I know sometimes people will also 'drop' unwanted toms off in the countryside if they have too many... like people do when they get unwanted roosters, but that's not usually with a more expensive heritige breed. Most people that get into them will raise them all and butcher unwanted/food birds. Hmm.

It's also possible it's a wild bird that for whatever reason is okay with people. I've seen that around cities but not so much in rurual areas (I agree-- spookiest critters out there!).

[Doewhacker]

Looks like he is damaging your lawn, time to get him ready for ThanksGiving. haha

And when you want to kill one, you will never find one that does not run away!

Nice spread by the way.

[landtracdeerhunter]

Nice turkey Doc.

[First-light]

Sorry Doc that's my decoy!

Two weeks ago at camp I drive by my neighbors trailer. 15 yards off the road is a doe eating his grass. I stop roll down the window and take some picts. She is now 15 yards from me and I do a soft bleat, she comes closer and goes back to eating. This was a 1.5 year old doe. Not until I called my brother and spoke did she care I was there. Once she heard a humans voice she bolted.

Edited November 8, 2012 by First-light

[WNYBuckHunter]

That turkey is still in season for you isnt it Doc? You should give it a free ride to your dinner table.

[Doc]

That turkey is still in season for you isnt it Doc? You should give it a free ride to your dinner table.

Yeah, I believe it is. But it would be like killing a pet ..... lol. By the way, he must have just been passing through because he didn't show up today. Given another day to think about it, he maybe would be in some difficulty if he tried to act goofy like that again. Probably would be good to get those "stupid" genes out of the flock ... lol.

A few years ago I remember reading about someplace in one of the Rochester surrounding towns having problems with an ornery wild turkey chasing residents. Apparently there are some places that they simply adopt as their own. But this was the strangest thing I have ever seen. I even talked at him and that didn't even bother him.

[First-light]

BTW Doc the lawn looks great!

[wdswtr]

I have two turkeys in specific that hang out in one of my foodplots on a regular basis that could care less when I check the camera. About 3 times now I have gotten within 10 feet of them in the open field and they just trot around me and go on eating. Walk back out after checking camera and they do the same like there is no fear in the world of what I am. Im willing to bet if I had a weapon on me they would run like heck to the next county. Weirdest thing I ever seen. I have to harass a family member about it and tell him how hard could hunting turkey be I can walk right up to them. lol

[Doc]

BTW Doc the lawn looks great!

Thanks .... the deer and turkeys sure do like it!

That's my way of getting rid of leaves. I just get out the lawn mower and keep blowing the leaves out until they wind up mulched and thrown into the thicket. I don't do much raking anymore. That's just not practical when you live in the middle of the woods .....lol.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Probably would be good to get those "stupid" genes out of the flock ... lol.

Think of it as a cull or management bird....

[Lawdwaz]

Yeah, I believe it is. But it would be like killing a pet ..... lol. By the way, he must have just been passing through because he didn't show up today.

I bet your neighbor is having a turkey dinner tonight.................

[Doc]

I bet your neighbor is having a turkey dinner tonight.................

I think you're right, but that neighbor isn't of the human variety .... lol. The day before yesterday, I decided to take a little scouting walk to try to figure out where all the deer are hiding, and about 100 yards south of the house I came across a big pile of turkey feathers and a bloody chunk of skin and feathers. Something had a turkey dinner. I'm afraid I no longer have a pet turkey. I've got to believe that there was something different about that bird. Not only was he acting entirely too casual about me and my activities, but it may have turned out that he wasn't all that swift about avoiding predatory critters.

I'm just curious .... can a fox take down a full-grown turkey, or did it have to be something bigger like a coyote?

[Paula]

not sure about a fox, maybe turkey wasn't feeling well and that is why it was hanging around. so maybe it was roosting and it fell from tree and became dinner, or maybe he couldn't make it to roost because he didn't have the strength and he became dinner. ?

[Doc]

I don't know .... last time I saw him he was walking around pretty normally, and was constantly eating. He looked quite healthy, but .... who knows?

[landtracdeerhunter]

Here's a flock that nearly every morning, come in to say hello, 20 yard or less sometimes LOL. Four days before season, never heard from again. Kinda miss the old bird.

[growalot]

they are funny...I was walking around these birds and 10ft away snapping pics...had no cares whether I was there or not...

[Jennifer]

I think you're right, but that neighbor isn't of the human variety .... lol. The day before yesterday, I decided to take a little scouting walk to try to figure out where all the deer are hiding, and about 100 yards south of the house I came across a big pile of turkey feathers and a bloody chunk of skin and feathers. Something had a turkey dinner. I'm afraid I no longer have a pet turkey. I've got to believe that there was something different about that bird. Not only was he acting entirely too casual about me and my activities, but it may have turned out that he wasn't all that swift about avoiding predatory critters.

I'm just curious .... can a fox take down a full-grown turkey, or did it have to be something bigger like a coyote?

Yes-- they sure can. I've had them come into calls before, looking for a meal. One grabbed a decoy by the neck in the spring once too-- never even saw him until he had the decoy! Thankfully he realized something was wrong and dropped it before he ran off, otherwise I'd need a new one!

Coyotes do a number on turkeys thoug, you are right. I've had them come in to my turkey calling more often than foxes. They seem a lot more aware /nervous of human presence than the foxes though, as I've only ever seen them for a split second before they do a 180 and tail it out of there.

[erussell]

Back in my teen yrs we had a bobwhite quail that just showed up one day and took to our chickens. He reminded me of the baby chicken hawk on looney tunes. He was tiny but he would chase the roosters off and show off for the hens. He was there all summer and then he just dissapeared. I think a hawk ate him. Then about 6 yrs ago I was mowing my lawn and turned around and there was a pheasant behind me following me around eating bugs in the cut grass. Evertime I would fire up the lawn mower he would come running out of the woods and eat bugs, it was pretty cool. Also there was a story on the news about a yr ago about a guy who had a Grouse that liked his 4 wheeler. Everytime he fired it up the grouse would fly out of the woods and hang out with the family.

http://www.wbng.com/younews/84140287.html

[Uncle Nicky]

I have heard of "tame" wild turkeys before, but I was always a little skeptical. Last month I was hunting a ranch in Wyoming that had wild Merriam's turkeys hanging in the front yard, one jake even got a little aggressive with me, he chased my truck & tried to peck at me when I got out, I later saw him pecking at the rancher's wife's car winshield. My inlaws live in south NJ, they have a flock that comes out & walks the housing development like clockwork. These birds never cease to amaze me.